The restaurant 'freebies' are killin' you!
Thursday, January 20, 2011 at 10:07 We’ve all been on this ride. The chips in any Mexican restaurant, the fresh hot bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar at Macaroni Grill, the ever present french fries with everything.
If your goal is to lose that weight this year, for real and for good, you’ve gotta start saying “NO, Thanks.”
The reason is that these ‘freebies’ are liking eating an unhealthy meal BEFORE your meal. They’re loaded with refined carbs - wheat or corn, fat, salt and sugar. There are no redeeming values to this crap. If you’re gonna blow some calories, at least blow it toward a really good glass of red wine! And speaking of alcohol, that lowers your resistance to the ‘freebies’.
Look, you went for a meal. Make the meal the focus. Let the entree and main performers shine, and you’ll better ‘scratch that itch’ of hunger and satisfaction. You’ll end up being less hungry and can quit beating yourself up later at the weigh-in.
The way I’ve dealt with this is by simply having a ‘rule’. No ‘freebies’ on my table. Thanks, but I’ll pass. Whatever it is. And, when it comes to french fries, I never order them. Mr. Maven loves them, but I’ve trained him to ask for a ‘half order’ of fries … always. Then I eat a few of those.
You don’t always require a salad. Unless there are no veggies with your meat and starch, skip the salad. Especially if it’s wearing the same-old tired gloppy, fat, sugar and sodium laced American excuses for salad dressing. I’ve pretty much quit ordering restaurant salads. They’re horrible. Few restaurants - especially chains - know how to make a properly dressed small salad, and I got tired of carrying my own bottle of home-made dressing.
Take a look at the following segment and tell me that doesn’t scare you.
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